Twenty-two
Investitures are held each year, the majority at Buckingham Palace and up to 150
recipients attend each Investiture. Windsor Castle is also a venue, as is
The Palace of Holyrood House in
Edinburgh, Scotland and Cardiff Castle in Wales. If
The Queen is unable to attend an
Investiture herself (generally on a Friday), the awards will be presented by The Prince of Wales or
The Princess Royal. At 1055hrs five members of The Queen's Body Guard of
the Yeomen of the Guard enter the ballroom at a slow march to their anthem "Men of Harlech". The Queen enters the Ballroom
at 1100hrs
attended by two Ghurkha Orderly Officers, a tradition begun in 1876 by
Queen Victoria. Four Gentlemen
ushers-to-The-Queen are on duty to help look
after the recipients and their guests and music is provided by an orchestra from
one of the Bands of the Household Division. The Queen is escorted by either the
Lord Chamberlain or the Lord Stewart who, after the National Anthem has been
played, stands to Her Majesty's right and announces the name of each recipient
and the achievement for which he or she is being decorated. The Queen lifts the
decoration from a
velvet cushion held by a senior member of the Household, generally the Master of
the Household. The Secretary of the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood
is responsible for ensuring that the correct decoration is placed on the
cushion. Her Majesty is also attended by an Equerry-in-Waiting who will prompt
The Queen of each recipient as he or she approaches.

Those
who are to receive the Honour of Knighthood kneel on a velvet Investiture Stool
to receive the Accolade, which is bestowed using a sword which King George VI
used when, as Duke of York, he was Colonel of the Scots Guards.
The Queen then Invests all recipients
with the Insignia of the Award by dubbing the recipient once only on each
shoulder. Most recipients are made members of one of the
Orders of Chivalry. The Insignia that they receive reflects the Class to which
they are appointed; A Knight or Dame Grand Cross receives a Badge on a Sash and
a Star; A Dame Commander receives a Breast Badge and a Star; A male Commander of
Companion receives a Neck Badge and a female Commander or Companion and a
Lieutenant, Officer and Member receives a Breast Badge. Knights Bachelor do not
belong to the Order and therefore receive only a Neck Badge. It should be noted
that the Accolade of Knighthood is bestowed only once during a person's
lifetime.

As
well as these awards, recipients may attend an Investiture to receive a
Decoration for Gallantry, such as the George Cross, the George Medal or The
Queen's Gallantry Medal. Some recipients receive Awards such as The Queen's
Police Medal, The Queen's Fire Service Medal or the Royal Red Cross.
Occasionally an award for Gallantry may be made posthumously and in this case
The Queen presents the Decoration or Medal to the recipient's next of kin at
a private ceremony immediately before an Investiture begins.

Honours
which may be presented at an Investiture include admission to the Order of the
Companions of Honour for conspicuous service of national importance; to the
Order of the Bath for either outstanding military service or public service; to
the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George for service to the Crown overseas;
to the Royal Victoria Order for personal services to
The Queen or other Members of The Royal Family; or to the Order of the
British Empire for either meritorious military service or civilian service to
The Crown.

The
Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, which is a department of the Lord
Chamberlain's Office, is responsible for the organisation of each Investiture.

Those
who for some reason are unable to attend an Investiture will receive their Award
from a Lord Lieutenant acting on behalf of
The Queen or from one of Her Majesty's representatives overseas.

Edited from the
"Investiture at Buckingham Palace" Booklet received by all recipients and their
guests at Investitures.

INVESTITURE PICTURES
We want many more Investiture-Day pictures.
If you have permission to allow us to publish
your picture, please send it to
qbg@hotmail.co.uk